Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be questioned as part of a United States defamation case filed by the half-sister of Meghan.
Samantha Markle is suing Meghan for “injurious falsehoods and defamation” owing to the couple’s interview in 2021 with Oprah Winfrey. She alleges she was defamed when Meghan “maliciously and falsely” claimed to be an only child. A judge denied a motion made by Meghan to suspend the taking of depositions in the civil dispute.
The pair spoke with Winfrey about their families
In the US, a court is obligated to take a witness or party’s formal statement of evidence, known as a deposition. In the eagerly awaited interview, the pair spoke with Winfrey about their families, mental health, and royal life.
In a March filing, the duchess’ half-sister said that Meghan made “demonstrably malicious and false statements” to a worldwide audience.
Documents obtained by the PA News agency show Samantha Markle saying around 50 million people in 17 countries worldwide had watched their interview with Winfrey.
The motion said it “disseminated malicious and false lies” and subjected Samantha Markle to “humiliation, shame, and hatred worldwide.”
It further claims that Meghan had planned a “premeditated campaign to undermine their name and integrity” by spreading “falsehoods” about Samantha Markle and their father, Thomas Markle, using “the formidable resources of the Royal Family’s public relations department.”
A motion filed by Meghan to stop depositions in the case from taking place was dismissed by Florida judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell on Tuesday.
She claimed that the jury was being asked to determine what constituted a “close” relationship between the half-sisters, according to The Times. Following the release of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare in January and the couple’s Netflix series last year, a defamation complaint was filed.
